BY ARA KHACHATOURIAN
In a page four article in Wednesday’s edition of New York Times, titled “‘Frozen Conflict’ Between Azerbaijan and Armenia Begins to Boil,” Moscow bureau chief Ellen Barry describes in detail makeshift and government-sanctioned sniper schools teaching Azeri youth the fine art of sniper fire to fight Nagorno-Karabakh.
In what can be described as a breach of simple journalistic standards, Barry provides a detailed account of Azeri “refugees” living in squalor and turning to the sniper schools to prepare for war against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. Her story is peppered with official and person-on-the-street accounts of how war is the only option to resolving the Karabakh conflict.
It is ironic. After all it was Felicity Barringer of the New York Times who broke the news of the 1988 peaceful demonstrations in Armenia and Karabakh, prompted by Glasnost and Perestroika, that started what is now known as the “Karabakh conflict.” Her newspaper diligently chronicled the savage Azeri pogroms in Sumgait, Kirovabad, Baku and Shahumian and the resulting war that Barry now references in her disheveled piece and attempt at reporting.
Barry quotes a 34-year-old and a 15-year-old student, both of whom express their willingness—and readiness—to go to war and in one instance also talks of the young Azeris’ shame for living in squalor as the impetus for their military outlook.
It was also the New York Times that expressed outrage and condemnation at the Madrassas being operated in Pakistan that trained young Muslims to fight Osama bin-Laden’s Jihad against the West. Barry’s piece seems to endorse the Azeri belief that the only way out of the situation is to establish free sniper schools to teach the young to fight. One wonders how the same publication can have such divergent views on what is essentially the same approach.
The reporter also discusses the matter with Azerbaijan’s presidential adviser, Ali Hasanov, who tells Barry, “There is no guarantee that tomorrow or the day after tomorrow a war between Azerbaijan and Armenia won’t start,” adding, “If necessary we are ready to give our lives for territorial integrity.”
An obvious question for a presidential aide perhaps would have been: why isn’t Baku spending all the riches it has amassed from oil and gas deals to provide better living conditions for these refugees, who Barry describes as “living along a dank, fetid hallway, on one floor of a former office building” with “three rough, foul-smelling holes in the concrete floor served as toilets for 21 families.”
Barry’s attempt to provide clarity of the international context of the conflict also echoes the Azeri cries that they have been left alone to fend for themselves.
“The United States, France and Russia do not do what they promised,” Barry quotes Hasanov. “America now thinks Afghanistan and Iraq are more important — and North Africa, and the missile defense shield in Europe — than such regional conflicts as Nagorno-Karabakh.”
There is no mention of the OSCE chairman’s appeal—which Azerbaijan unequivocally rejected—to both sides to withdraw their snipers from what is known as the “line of conflict.” No mention again of last week’s statement by president Obama, Sarkozy and Medvedev calling on the sides to finalize the so-called “basic principles” and condemned use of force in resolving the conflict. Nor, was there any mention of the Azeri threats to down civilian aircraft. The latter threat was even condemned by the most pro-Azeri US diplomat, Matthew Bryza.
The most incendiary part of Barry’s article is her conclusion where she quotes Shafag Ismailova, a 34-year-old student at the sniper school as saying: “We had a genocide, and no one helps us. Not America, not Russia.” The New York Times, which covered the Armenian Genocide as it was happening, should not allow such callous use of the word and must warn its bureau chiefs and reporters to be more sensitive in such matters.
The timing of the piece is also suspect. During a period when international attention has been focused on Karabakh, including a meeting by Armenia’s foreign minister with Hillary Clinton on the matter, the New York Times has mentioned the conflict in passing only once when reporting on Azerbaijan’s victory in the Eurovision 2011 song competition.
Could it be that Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov’s current visit to New York has promoted such a despicable piece in the New York Times? Or, has Azerbaijan’s $35,000-a-month contract with Patton, Boggs, LLC. to promote its interests in the US finally breached the most impenetrable walls of the Gray Lady?
Whatever the case, it is pieces such as Barry’s and those editors who approve their publication that might bring this “frozen conflict” to a “boil.”
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It is indeed shmeful for the New York Times to publish these lies. Request from Asbarez to publish the address of the New York Times so that we can write to the editor to protest.
I totally agree with you and we should go even further. You know what azeris do? They write letters every time they get a chance of protesting, it has become their national policy to bombard with millions of emails/letters until they are heard!! It seemed funny at first couple of years ago until they actually started to succeed. In similar cases the newsletter/website has the protest emails and the addresses ready in several langaues just to copy paste and send!! I believe we should do the same, fight the enemy with their own weapons.
P.S. In case anyone wants to email Hellen Barry here is the link from their website:https://myaccount.nytimes.com/membercenter/emailus.html
I read this farce in the New York Times today and can not understand how a report of such bundle of lies could be printed in any paper. The “reporter” writes that Azerbaijan is a wealthy country but if that is so, why are these so called Azeries live a such a “sh$t hole” Why hasn’t the Azeri government or sultan Aliev cared for their pathetic existence?
I can smell a rat here. Anyone reading this pathetic piece can not help but come to the same conclusion.
This has been the most vomit inducing piece of sickening fake journalism that I have ever read.
Is anyone from the Armenian American community representive going to sue this newspaper?
April 1st was two months ago . How can the editor of this newspaer let such BS be printed? Or is it perfectly o.k. for base reporters of the lowest denominator to fill NY Times with falshood and hate inducing articles as long as it is addressed to Armenians? Shame and Shame on Ellen Barry who has proved to be the most unprofessional and hateful writer that there ever was!
Because the media is run by pro zionists. The very same people that HATE Armenians and conspired to commit the Genocide
Thank you, Ara. I felt many of the same emotions when I read the New York Times article yesterday.
Sorry – I meant to put in the link to Barry’s bio and picture:
http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/b/ellen_barry/index.html
…and this article comes exactly a day after the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) published its report on Azerbaijan, in which, were amongst others, we read: …” ECRI refers to the recommendations made in other parts of this report concerning the need to adopt an appropriate response to all cases of discrimination and hate speech against Armenians, and to its recommendations
concerning the application of the relevant legal provisions”…
I read this article only this morning and I already mentioned on the web that where is the Azeri mega billion dollars worth oil in this matter???? How is it that Azerbaijan spends billions and billions of dollars to purchase the most expensive aircrafts and missiles to make war with Nagorno-Karapakh/Artsakh and yet they don’t provide monies towards their own people to live in better housings????
Is it possible that Ellen Barry is yet another one to be on the payroll of warmongoing Azeri government??? The above article justly mentioned it. Thanks Ara for your article and shame on Ellen Barry who unfortunately heads the New York Times who used to be a reputable and a democratically just paper. Yes Ara, it was indeed the New York Times who provided daily the news from the Armenian Genocide back in 1915 through 1923. I suppose the editors then were not bought by the Turkish government.
Thank you Asbarez and ARA KHACHATOURIAN, for responding to this in a quick manner. Not only does this Article undermine the peace process between Artsakh and Azerbaijan but it simply breaches all journalistic codes of ethics. Her writing is so one-sided it is simply appalling.
1- The Language is rude and not sensitive to such a fragile matter with phrases such as “Frozen Conflict ….. Begins to Boil,”
2- Restating false untested facts “….. single bullet that crossed the line of contact that day was the one that lodged in the boy’s head.” & “I’d rather go to war….” especially unchecked statement like “though it (meaning Azerbaijan) could easily drive out Armenian forces.
Hmm… thats odd because i remember reading a multitude of reports from US military officials, Russian Military Reports and Nato and EU reports all stating that they are unsure if Azerbaijan can amass a successful invasion of Artsakh. In either case who am I to speculate when some of the leading military strategists are unsure yet Ms. Ellen Barry of NYT thinks that Azeri forces will swiftly overtake Armenian defense.
The biggest moment of journalistic blunders came in the last line of the article when Ms. Barry fully aware of the Armenian Past and especially that of the 1915 era. Knowingly decided to turn the tables and use the Genocide word against Armenians. The issue that bothers me the most is that when I hear prominent publications who have been gaged by the Turkish-Azeri pressure refer to Armenian Genocide as anything but a genocide. They use the word mass killing, atrocities, conflict, and even substitute Armenian words which mean the same “Metz Yeghern” etc. Essentially trying not to mention the genocide word. Yet this lady has the audacity of mentioning that Armenian’s that inflicted genocide on the Azeris.
Shame in you Ms. Barry, and Shame on you New York Times. This is a travesty which is toying with peoples lives on both sides of the conflict. New York Times needs to apologize ASAP.
She is not a journalist. She is a sh$t stirrer!! The NY Times should take some blame for her hateful comments and lies. She should be named and shamed in every Armenian newspaper and should be kicked out of her post. I’m sure that she’ll be well provided for by some benevolent Azeri , so unlike the “homeless Azeris” she described in her pathetic article, she won’t have to share a hole as a toilet with hundreds more! Although it would be much better if she would simply disappear into a hole and spare the readers of NY Times of her repellent reportings!
All of America’s mainstream news outlets are government organs. Expecting otherwise is utterly naive.
I agree. Barry got order (zakaz) from US government and turk-azeri alliance.
The calculate that the pressure – in the form of a possibility (only possibility!) of the war resumption, on the Armenian side must bring to the “peaceful solution” in the form of the Armenians giving away their ancestral lands to strangers. Strangers who never beautified or made a use of that lands. Because they always knew that one day the indigenous people will take the land back.
Same machine fuels quarrel inside the house of the Armenian homeland.
The organs have collapsed like their government. It appears that organ transplants should be in order. As for Ellen Barry she should stop her shameful “day job” and perhaps seek an apt “profession” in one of the nightclubs in her beloved Baku! I’m sure that the NY Times is extremely “proud” of their “treasure” who has failed miserably to mention the horrible human rights abuses in Azerbaijan but there again money does blind these corrupt and unworthy reporters who give a very bad name to other decent reporters. Shame on NY Times!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I agree on one thing though that Ellen Barry should stop her “day job” as the NY Times editor as she is obviously unworthy of it, and she should work as a call girl in the Baku vacinity as the Azeri men are calling for her.
The more will come. Mr. obama gave green light to trivialization of genocide. the main legacy of obama’s administration is transformation of a genocide recognition into a token for a political bazar (market). Such vulgarization and cynicism spreads roots fast. What Mrs. Barry did? She got encouraged by her presidents stance on genocides and got motivated my money paid from pocket of Aliev, who could use this money to build toilets for this troubled azeris. Did not Mrs. Berry consider this sense of money she found in her pocket?
On the other hand, this article once more proves to the world that
a) Armenians – Artsakhians, can not have normal human life under azeris’ rule. If Aliev does not build toilets for azeris, he will never spend a single dollar for building schools for Armenians;
b) an azeri is not a dream-neighbor. From Mrs. Berry article smells that azeris can live a life without having a normal toilets for more than 20 years (Guinness record?!). Moreover, the next generation does not mind or revolt neither! What if is there is a 20-year conspiracy against toilets? Or, these azers are stoics who wait for arrival of Mrs. Berry to write an article in New York Times? I hope that the last guess is correct. I hope that right tomorrow Mrs. Berry will make a call to aliev and tell him, that now they can start building toilets for poor azeris.
But everything started from obama’s trivialization of genocides.
Partial, desinformed,tendentious and low quality. Where is the objectivity of this so called journalist.
SHAME < SHAME
Editor, I know you are going to ignore this piece. Your criticize NYT for journalistic bias, but here you are, refusing comments from people not aggreeing with your piece. Ironic, isn’t it?
Now, about the article. My dear Armenian friends, whether you hate to hear it or not, Azerbaiijan has over 1 million internal refuges. What do you think happened to those people who lived in those lands “liberated” by Armenians? Forget about Karabak; you are occypying 7 adjacent districts. What happened to their population? Do you think they are going to forget their fathers’ graves, and spend their oil money on disco? No, we are preparing to take our land back. One day, once the Superpowers have been convinced to stand aside, we are going to take care of the business. The money Diaspora sends is not going to be enouhg to balance the tremendous advantage Azerbaijan has over the poor Armenia. You might be brave and all, but at the end of the day the big guns count too. and they will
This azeri guy talks like 9 or 10 years old.
Grow up you I…..
Why exactly did I sound like a 9-10 year old? Can you explain? Or is it because anyone who disagrees with your self-serving opinions is by definition a 9-10 year old incapable of matching your supreme intelligence and power of insight?
Forgetting your father’s graves is precisely what you will do, because you were never welcomed on Armenian lands in the first place. That is your problem, not ours. And whether you like it or not we are not finished with you either.
Do you also forget that Armenians were displaced from Baku? And we pick up after ourselves and go on unlike your backwards culture who only worships money and make-believe power. You might think you will retake Armenian lands, on the other hand don’t be surprised when one day Baku becomes an Armenian city.
You got so used to thinking that money or guns deliver future, that you lost man-to-man war in 1992-1994.
Only due to Superpower’s intervention and the late Aliev’s understanding of the Armenians spirit saved you from losing Baku.
Do no mistake again.
Are you ready to die for aliyev’s dictatorship?
i have a really big gun for you…..
Maybe Ellen Barry should also report on the state sanctioned cultural genocide being perpetrated by Azeri’s in the Armenian enclave of Nakhitchevan, which they administer, where ancient Armenian khatchkars and other monuments of religious, cultural and historical significance, are being systematically destroyed, just to give the place a ‘Turkish’ feel to it.
I sent her a letter, shaming her for a one sided article loaded with Azerbaijany propaganda.
This is a response i received from her;
“Hello.
I’ve already gotten a number of letters like yours, and I’m happy to
talk about it. My aim was not to explain the origins of the conflict
but to convey the mood on the ground as a way of underlining the
urgency of the matter. I felt that our readers needed to understand
the level of tension surrounding this issue.
Reactions like yours are always important to the newspaper, and to me,
personally. I’ll take it seriously and talk to my editors about it. In
the mean time, I’d invite you to write a letter to the editor, which
is sometimes the best way to draw attention to another side of a story
that appears in our pages.
Sincerely,
Ellen”
As you can see, she is full of BS
This article seems to be preparing the public for something. Especially the words “thought it (Azerbaijan) could drive them out” referring to a conflict with Armenia.
Why wasn’t a refugee scene in Armenia depicted? There’s something wrong here and needs to be not only addressed but corrected.
Comments like, “Don’t they have shame?”, are useless. I could go on and on but the concept is obvious.
How about 300,000+ armenian refugess from Az. There was 480,000 armenians living in AZ in 1989, including 140 thousands in NKAO. Now, in Karabkh there are 150,000. So – where are all this armenians? Why this ‘brilliant’ NYT reporter is not addressing this issue?
Honesty in the media went the way of all that shall have been honest, as Ben Bedikian wrote a few years ago… as is evident, very evident today.
Azerbaijan has little interest in helping their citizens displaced by their own aggression. These people are their public trophy of Armenian “aggression”. Having started the war and articulating no argument on “territorial integrity” except satus quo, these have only these poor individual to display as an example of the “injustice” . What is pitifully ironic is that their own arrogance, aggression and murderous policies created the “refugee” problem. Those folks need to look east not west for the answer.
Yes, their own leadership is buying villas, mansions and more across the world… That is where the OIL monies are being used… The Azeris citizens are getting nothing from their own government… who lies. The Azeri leadership uses the Armenians to blame for all that is not happening for the Azeri citizens – these leadrs are stealing from their own Azeri citizens.
This was a disgrace. With lots of mistakes. One should think: why she wrote this? What was the REAL reason? Obviously, this has nothing to do with neither the reality, nor the efforts and stance of the OSCE Minsk Group negotiators. Ironically, this disgrace came right after Obama-Medvedev-Sarkozy recent statement. This will not help the peaceful negotiations, rather will stir up further antagonism.
It may be no coincidence that this article is published at the very moment that the ultranationalist Beteinu party in Israel is calling attention to Azerbaijan’s sensitivities as an argument against the Knesset discussing recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
Too, Israelis are on again. off again – PLOYs… whether or not the Armenian Genocide ever happened.. convenient/inconvenient at this moment in time for the Jews… for don’t you know, the only peoples to suffer Genocide have been the Jews… none other has known of the horrors, tortures, kidnappings, slaughters. It’s as if there is not any need for morality in the issue of Genocides… Photos of the Turkish inhumanity exist… men, women, children violated and worse – their bones left scattered across the deserts…awaiting justice, awaiting burials. ala Turkish style.
But yet, if the Turkish Genocide of the Armenian nation had been resolved via President Woodrow Wilson’s efforts… with full reparations to Armenians, IMAGINE, all the Genocides that have occurred since the Armenian Genocide – none shall have been… as the cycle of Genocides shall have ended… forever!!
you can hear her azeri drumbeat of war, and notice how she doesnt even mention the word ‘child soldiers’ once!
isnt there an journalists assosiation we could report her to?
ive always prided myself for having western values regarding war, detention interrogation etc… but let me catch just one of these 15 year old lagods and ill make a good example out of him/her…kloukhuh toukhti bes guh badrem, yev vodkeren guh gakhem
Suggestion to NYT: why don’t do something charitable and send all of your useless paper to those poor Azeris – they sure need lots of toilet paper!
I agree with you totally. She seems to have an unhealthy obsession with toilets but there again if what she writes is as good as a toilet paper then maybe she can’t help it.
They forgot to mention about ”pogroms” in armenia, when armenians killed azeris and forced them to leave armenia and karabag( which is azeri land) thers a lot of proofs. I remember seeing picture on news paper ” 200 years living of armenian people in Karabakh. About genocide , it happened on azeri lands when armenian military killed and tortured azeri citizens. Hopefully war won’t start.
About 1915 ”genocide” its made up story, may be people are died but died from all sides, and it was not genocide, what it was that armenian who were citizens of turkey they traded turkish nation and fought on russian side against turkish army, thats what basically happened, armenians started killing children and families of turkish men while turkish people were on war. This is true story.
Armenian media and lobby is strong for sure. They aggitate others and disinform other countries .
About this article some of it its not true.
How dare you, you idiot, insult the memory of my ancestors. The fact s before 1915 there were over 2 million Armenians in Asia Minor. After 1918, less than a half million remained. What do you think happened to them? Did they just disapper? It is idiots like you who close their eyes to reality that cause genocides to occur in the first place.
correction:
What else do you expect from a Jewish control media company. from the current chairman of the board Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr. to the (of the Sulzberger family) previous publishers Arthur Ochs Sulzberger and Adolph Ochs have all been Zionist.
And as all you know, Israel is a very close friend of Turkey and Azerbaijan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azerbaijan%E2%80%93Israel_relations
Reply
I agree with you Garegin. What most people don’t know is the Turkish Government is using five Jewish Organizations in this country to help the Turks in denying the Armenian Genocide. The Jews are controlling the U.S. President & the State Dept. and that is why our Genocide is put aside. Armenians must wake up to what is happening. Israel does not recognize the Armenian Genocide & the Israeli Ambassador made statements that their was no such Genocide. It is a shame our Armenian Government did not remove her from Armenia. If that happened in Israel they would consider you Anti-Semetic. Well I now consider Jews not only Anti-Armenian but Anti-Christian. In Jerusalem, when the Armenian Patriarch has a procession in the streets, Jews spit on the Patriarchs face and on the Cross. Back in the 1980’s when they had the Genocide convention in Tel Aviv, they did not allow the Armenian’s to participate. Shame on these Jews whom are controlling the world governments. The world must wake up to what they really are.
Here’s an excerpt from the NY Times article:
“Azerbaijan sees little way forward: though it could easily drive out Armenian forces, Russia could send its army to help Armenia, its ally in a regional defense alliance, just as it did in South Ossetia.”
LOL who is Ellen Berry trying to kid? “…it could easily drive our Armenian forces…”? It’s as if she’s completely unaware of how badly Azerbaijan lost the first time around. Better weaponry does not make for a superior force. Azerbaijan will learn this the next time it picks a fight.
“These young guys, they have been waiting their whole lives,” she said. “We had a genocide, and no one helps us. Not America, not Russia.”
The “she” here is that of Ms.Ismailova, the teacher; not Ellen Barry.
By pointing out that thousands of Azerbaijanis do indeed live in squalor, Barry, in fact, is indirectly laying the blame at the feet of the oil-rich but corrupt Aliyev regime.
Let’s have more….
I invite anyone interested to write the editor of the NYT as I did: letters@nytimes.com
Aghdam Genocide, Kars Genocide, Igdir Genocide, Ardahan Genocide…i can list lot more genocides committed by armenians. Your lies ending here dear armenians, the facts are around this time with video and pictures from Aghdam Genocide..The world knows now who is more capable of committing a genocide: the Armenians.
Obviously, you have been educated in the Turkish school system… which lies to their students, which lied to you, which lies to themselves… Turks unarmed Armenians, then slaughtered, raped, kidnapped, tortured them.. Appears Turks were more capable of committing Genocides, mentally and armed, from the 19th, 20th, 21st centuries of Armenians, Greeks, Syrians, and still today, the Kurds, still. Also, Turkish ally, Sudan, now Darfurian peoples – today, 2011. Nations/states/republics, Archives of the civilized world, the UN, the International Genocide Foundation, world newspapers of the years 1915-1923 reporting the Turk attrocities… and more, all recognize Genocides committed by the Turks – who teach lies even to their youth, and of course, lie to themselves… Turks still removing sites and relics which prove that the Armenians were on their own lands for centuries before the Turkish hordes from Asia chose to steal the Armenian nation – ready made for the barbaric Turks – as they eliminated the Armenian peoples… and still today, seeks to remove all evidences that Armenians lived in the Caucasus generations whilst the Turk was still roaming in the Asian mountains.
A Turkey eliminated the peoples of Armenia and have been actively eliminating evidence of the existence of Armenians… Because Turks stole the Armenian lands… and avidly works to remove any and all evidences of the Christian Armenians… now, nearly 100 years later and still
eliminating – since Turks claim all the cultures of the Armenians as if these belong to Turks!
P.S. We Armenians, too, have photos of vile and horrible tortures and murders of Armenians, by Turks, of unarmed men, women, and too, children… inhumanity to humans… ala Turkish style.
osmanoglu turko/azerofile ala abdulhamid, the world knows already who committed a genocide and who didn’t. It was just 19 years ago when the azeri pogroms charged-in every Armenian house in Baku, mutilated and murdered evrey Armenian alive. The same happened in Sumgeit and four other regions in your newly acquired azerbaijan that has been given as a gift by stalin. Don’t spew lies and mis-representations. A genocide is called a Genocide when the turks annihilated 90-95% of the Armenian race who lived in the ottoman turkey as their citizens. One cannot call a genocide otherwise. Get your stories right.
Why Armenians think they are always the victims? Not only Armenians are victims of history, also the many Hundreds thousands refugees in Azerbaijan.
Your Azeri citizens are ‘refugees’/victims of your own dishonest government who uses all the monies from all Azeri oil to fill their own pockets… Azeri leadership is stealing from their Azeri citizens. Your leadership is not providing for Azeris citizens because your leaderships is buying
villas, mansions and more all across the world. Your leadership lies and chooses to blame the Armenians who cause your citizens to suffer… Your leaderships lies to you, to all its citizens. Seek and find where are all these monies coming to Azerbaijan leaderships for your nation’s own natural resource – oil – but none is for you and the citizens of Azerbaijan.
Why you think Armenians think they are the only victims?
Is not a nation commiting genocide a more victim than the the nation sacrificed?
Don’t you agree that the load of guilt is more painful and poisonous than the load of lost life?
Do you think?
Dear Joschka, Armenians ARE victims, Raped and pillaged lands. “Eastern Anatolia” is filled with evidence if you don’t believe me. We were tossed around by history so much that we lost millions of our ancestors thousands of miles of land. Can you tell me why a region of Azerbaijan has an Armenian name? I’m referring to Nakhichevan. Our history was raped our identity stolen (Grogians wear our architecture like their own, Turks eat our food like their own, Azeri’s sleep on our land etc). We never had a voice in our own affair since the loss of our Medieval Kingdom of Kilikia. Artsakh or Karabagh was the last stance, our WELCOME into independence if you will. The international community greeted us in 1992 by sending Ukrainian paid mercenary fighters to pilot the planes, Israeli military technology even Taliban backed the Azeri fighters. So yes we are Victims. But we are also winners. And as winner we are entitled to our lands. We also do not complain like Azerbaijan does. All our refugees have been settled and taken care of.
When! will the Azeri oil money END !!!
In 10 years.
The Azeris have almost depleted their oil reserves and gas reserves and what remains will last only a little longer. This is one reason the Soviets largely stopped developing there in 1970’s. Many of the larger companies are selling down their positions in Azeri fields to smaller companies on the cheap as supposed new reserves are instead coming up dry. The future of oil in the region was/is Tenghiz, Siberia, Iran, etc.
There is a chance that Azerbaijan will be a transit country for Turkmenistan resources in the future but right now, Central Asian producers are looking to lucrative and energy starved eastern markets. The Azeri officials are full of bluster because they know the window of opportunity is closing rapidly.
You can write to both addresses.
editorial@nytimes.com
letters@nytimes.com
Here is an example of a letter
to Hellen Barry.
It is evident that you would not write the article “‘Frozen Conflict’ Between Azerbaijan and Armenia Begins to Boil,” without having a strong backup. It is also evident that you belong to the propaganda machine lubricated by oil-money of Mr. Aliev’s empire and the state department’s plans for the region.
If you were truly concerned with the misfortune of refugee Azeris, you should – from respect to their problems, do a study (not “a better study”, but some study, at least) of the conflict. Many instances of your writing are nonprofessional before they are ridiculous.
Using carelessly the “genocide” word in the context of the Karabakh war (you acknowledge that there was a war), while staying stone-still on April 24th and not writing a single word in your paper about the Armenian genocide of 1915, makes obvious your insensitivity to the genocides, in general, and reveals the mercantile intention of your product.
Scaring readers with an al-Qaeda membership and/or becoming-a-terrorist inclinations of poor Azeris, means collaborating with these drives.
It would be, in my opinion, more productive, if you raised question about Mr. Aliev spending millions dollars for his not-teenager-yet son’s birthday, while keeping his own people in reservation.
From your Moscow office window, you have poured a water on the mill of the war-making machine. Read comments to your article and see that you could not hide the goal of your writing behind your biased and false statements. Today’s reader has uncountable resources to learn the truth. Your article has no single instant of a professional journalism. You do not deliver truth. Maybe delivering the truth was not meant at all?
Bullies, our world is composed of bullies in all manner/directions…. No longer is the ‘press’ the media true Today, fools can expose their thoughts and get credit for their stupidity. New York Times recently (a few years ago) was adamant in denying – yes denying – the fact that they, the New York Times, during the years of the Turkish Genocide of the Armenians (1915-1923) had printed, carried, and published all the horrors of the Turks in their pursuit of eliminating the Armenian peoples. Then the New York Times, (until approximately 10 years ago) adamantly insisted it was not to recognize the Turkish Genocide of the Armenians which their own publication had, over years been reporting… honestly!! (Of course such denials seemed to emanate as there shall never been any other than Jews who had suffered Genocide)! Actually, had the efforts of President Woodrow Wilson succeeded then the issue of Genocides (slaughters, tortures, rapes, kidnappings and worse) shall have ended… ALL THE GENOCIDES SINCE, ALL SHALL NEVER OCCURRED as a civlized nation, with USA leadership, shall have been a leader to end despots use of Genocides – not wars (as Genocides is their route to take to gain their misdirected goals). GENOCIDES – ELIMINATION OF HUMANS IS CHEAPER/EASIER – hence all Genocides have continued from the 19th, 20th centuries, now the 21st century in Darfur and Kurds. Who will be next??
So when some New York Times writer today makes a fool of herself and her New York Times… it is not surprising that Genocides do continue… ongoing/unending…
For as such fools, bullies are able to avoid/ignore the real issue before ALL the civilized world is that via inhumanity innocent humans – via vile tortures, slaughters and worse AS ALL CIVILIZED NATIONS STAND WATCHING, IGNORING, THUS GENOCIDES WILL CONTINUE NON-STOP – TODAY! IN
TRUTH, TODAY, WHERE/WHO ARE THE CIVILIZED PEOPLES OF THE WORLD WILLING TO JOIN TOGETHER TO BRING TO JUSTICE THESE CRIMINALS – TO END THE CYCLE OF GENOCIDES – FOREVER!
Thank you Ara, very good . Be active as much as possible, we need your help in the external field to confront the falsifications of the Azerbaijani propaganda and disclose the truth. Thank you !
Why doesn’t she ask how come a trillion rich oil country like Azerbaijan can not provide the basic standard of living for its population. There is not a single mention of the mega corruption that is prevalent in that country. Aliyev and Co have transfered billions abroad and his family have bought numerous villas and expensive properties all over the world. They are going to have the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku next year. How can they afford spending billions on that but can not afford the basic housing for their people? Only yesterday the Guardian newspaper had written about the massive food shortage in Azerbaijan. Why the foodshortage when the country is getting billions in oil revenue? This is just a front to blame every corruption on the Armenians and the corrupt journalists are more than happy to massage Azeri’s egoes. I’m sure that it is no coincidence that yesterday both the Guardian in the UK and the NY Times had articles on Azerbaijan and both showing utter blindness and “ignorance” to the historical truth and blaming every Azeri ills on the Armenians. We have to be very vigilant and be aware that something very smelly is brewing and that the Azeri money has most certainly found its ugly way in the pockets of few rogue “journalists”. Not the first time nor will it be the last but we must be fully aware of what’s happening.
I would like to propose that Armenians must sue the New York Times for these offensive and utterly false statements and most of all two things: 1) turning the tables and saying that Armenians committed genocide, and 2) provoking war against Armenians, when the United States must put water on the fire and NOT OIL!!!!
Powerful and fact-based response Ara. This is not only a breach of simple journalistic standards but showcases the public relations efforts employed by the Azeri government. Millions of dollars at work by professional PR firms to spin and dissolve the truth.
I was so glad to see a quick reply to that horrible article, which lacked historical depth, glorified war, and was so blatantly ignorant of any perspective other than the one of the Azeri state. Great response, Ara!
Well done Ara with your prompt and factual rebuttal of this writer who is on the payroll of the Azeri/Turkish axis.
Editor, thank you for publishing my previous comment. Whether I disagree with your community or not, it is always interesting to read what the “other” side thinks. Now, from the Azeri side, it looks little bit desperate when you complain that Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and New York Times (all of which have published Azeri-simpathetic pieces recently) are all biased or have been bought by Azeri money. Do you really thing Azerbaijan wield that much power? Or is it because that impartial 3rd parties can see the situation more objectively than you and I could? Why is it so impossible for you to appreciate the facet that Azeri refuges (1 million!) deserve simpathy? And note (for another commenter), this number does not include Azeri who left Armenian Republic. These are from Azeri territories (outside karabak)? To you, this number is a number, but behind it there are 1 million people who have been wronged by Armenians, deprived of their ancestors land. And dont start with the idea that you liberated this land? Liberated from whom? Take me. My family is from Lachin. My grandfather’s grandfater’ etc, we know, were born there. You, sitting here in CA, are going to tell me you liberated Lachin? Don’t you think all occupying powers have such lousy excuses for their agression. Now, note that I am not talking about Karabak itself (ok, let’s concede that it is a disputed territory). I am talking about the adjacent areas that even Armenian government itself considers as not part of Karabak.Do you think we are going just to forget our forefather’s grave and use our oil money to build infrastructure? We already have enough of it (anyone visiting both Armenia and Azerbaijan can attest to who has more and better of it). No, we will take our lands back. And you here in the diaspora will do all you can do to prevent that. Maybe you will will, maybe we will. But one thing is for sure. The game is not over. You won Round 1, sure. But there is more to come.
Round II will be bloody but I think Azeris will lose even more.
what do you mean we won round one 1, how do you think we survived on our lands for thousands of years, if your that interested in a grave in karapagh we can provide that no proplem.
you snipe our soldiers and civilians during a ‘ceasefire’ and were going to give up our buffer zones? keep dreaming. and do you expect the population of karapagh to accept occupation? too bad, a lot of the poor are going to die to help in alievs hold for power. all i can say is youre retarded to step into lions den, these are people who just want to live in piece and theyve just about had it with you nipping at their heels like a jackal, the only way youll understand is with a strong hand
correction- peace*
My favorite part:
“”Azerbaijan sees little way forward: though it could easily drive out Armenian forces, Russia could send its army to help Armenia, its ally in a regional defense alliance, just as it did in South Ossetia.””
Ha ha ha!
This would make a good show at Ringling Azeri brothers & Barnum and BARRY!
Ellen Barry conveniently disregarded the Armenian pogroms of Sumgait and Baku. She openly takes an unhealthily one-sided, tunnel vision stance in regards to the conflict. Present day Armenia still does not have its rightful territorial integrity as Nakchievan and the western provinces still need to be repatriated. The economy in Karabakh is very poor and people can hardly make ends meet as well as having to live with the constant threat of war by neighbouring fascist Azerbaijan armed to the teeth.
While Azerbaijan makes billions in oil and gas revenue and Alieyev’s clan ciphers billions in Swiss bank accounts, the average Azeri bears the brunt of the corruption and the tyrannical rule of Aliyev dynasty.
Ms Barry should have a minimum degree of integrity and professionalism as a journalist not to discredit the New York Times more than it already is.
Dear Editor,
Not unlike the 1967 war between Israel and its neighbors, Armenians of Nagorno Karabagh, originally known as Artsahk suffered the extreme continuation of nationalistic cruelty at the hands of Azeris in Baku, Sum gait and many other places.
If you had taken the time to also interview Armenian from Artsahk, they would tell you how close a reminder to the Genocide they suffered decades prior from the Ottoman Turks and to them this was reliving these horrible holocausts like experiences.
Can you imagine your neighbors and the police coming at you with knives, picks, axes for the sole reason that you are an infidel???
That was in 1990 when Armenia itself could hardly survive. On the other hand Azerbaijan had big brother Turkey ready to put American arms at the reach of its Islamic cousins.
The word Jihad only recently has been circulated to Americans ears. Armenians had been experiencing Jihad for over 100 years.
Can we really afford to allow ourselves to be like an ostrich as long as it doesn’t affect us personally and directly? Let’s not be blind to oil and to the wolf in sheep’s clothing.
So then, anything that may even hint of being negative towards Armenia and ARD dashnaks are automatically “LIES”, while anything negative about Azerbaijan, turkey or Georgia is automatically “reliable and correct”. You dashnakians MUST learn that you simply can NOT have it both ways!!! Deal with it and stop your incessent whining already!!!
My friend A) I am not a Dashnak. B) even if you are a Turkish or Azeri and have an inkling of intellect and respect for pure journalism, you would see how one-sided this article is. Trust me there is a time and a place for everything and when it comes to criticizing our own Armenian ethnocentric issues and our corrupt government I do it. But this article is dangerous because it plays on peoples emotions. It is insensitive to a very hot-button issue. Not to mention neglect pure facts and makes unsubstantiated assertions. Need I say more.
Here is something for you to learn:
A stone thrown into still water creates a circular wave pattern.
Dear Steve Irberg, past registered foreign agent for Sudan, your love of genocidal nations is well known. It must be frustrating to lose battle after battle against Armenians on the legal front and the war front. The turks and their soulless hired guns are on the wrong side of history as usual.
So you know the political affiliation of all the commentators here you clever clog eh? You have not read the article or the comments then. We are against lies and crap journalism here, you are here just to criticise for the sake of it. Just take your medication and go to sleep, leave the intelligent ones to get on with it!
turkish way of thinking is if you tell a lie over and over again even the one who tells a lie will start to believe
Armenians should never trust the Turks and Azeries.even when one tells one thing they are thinking something else.even when they know Artsahk was won by the will of the people.they forget if the Armenians lost the war they would of been distroyed. Turks commited two genocide.first the killing which everyone knows and the second being forced to become a Turk or a Kurd in name of saving what was left by there Turkish and Kurdish neigboors and getting rid of the rest from the interior in the 30s.
Siz cogunu koruduk ve kurtardik diye ovunurken nasil asimle ettiklerini aklinin ucuna bile getirmek istemiyorsanis.
When I read the article a couple of days back in NYT I was outraged. I was thinking why our news outlets do not address/respond to these lies. Thank you Ara for writing about this.
The impact of the global food crisis on Azerbaijan – in pictures
Following the humanitarian crisis in the early 1990s when the Soviet Union collapsed and conflict erupted with neighbouring Armenia, Azerbaijan lost 16% of its territory and 600,000 people were forced to leave their homes. Today, thousands are still displaced or living in extreme poverty. Photographer David Levene visited families in the Barda region, where, despite Azerbaijan’s natural oil reserves, soaring food prices are threatening the community’s food security.
Coincidence? I think not! David Levene had his photos published the same day (1st June) as Elly Barry was “doing her pathetic bit” .
I yet to see these stirrers going to Artsakh and writing a piece or taking photos.
Don’t tell me that they have done this all in the name of journalism. Money talks and Aliyev’s money goes a long way!
If you’re incensed as much as I am with this biased and irresponsible article from the NYT, email your letter to the editor to letters@nytimes.com. Keep them short. No more than 150 words, if you want a chance that it would get published.
Yellow journalism at its best. The NY times is not a fountain of reliability. The turkish lobbby is far more active and incisive than the Armenians when it comes to matter of national interests. Armenians tend to rely on the moral ground and their righteoussness to self defense. It is a shortsighted view . The conflict is not only confined to the battlefield, but also on the PR realm. Any fool can understand that the so ” called refugees” are simply pawns in the hands of the Azeri government. They are drowning in oil money, it would be within their capabilities to assist the so called “refugees.” They will leave them languishing, so that they can carry favor with the ” international yellow press like the NYT”. By the way has anyone ever read a unbiased article in that newspaper when it comes to Armenia ??. The Karagabagh conflict was resolved de facto in 1993. The Azeris refuse to acknowledge the reality of the situation. All what we hear from the Azeris is belligerent bombast and bluster. If they are planning for war, they have to be prepared to face the consequences. There are some influential think tanks in turkish-azeri geopolitics in which the concept of eliminating Armenia and its inhabitants, thus completing the ” unfinished job of 1915″, from the region is a feasible project. They are are working toward that goal.
why dont the tashnags start teaching our youth, in lebanon, armenia, start organizing
Can everyone please start sending letters to NYT editor. The article was horribly subjective in nature. I have not seen such a one-sided portrayal of any events in any Western paper. Not even Israeli-Palestinian conflict gets this kind of a report. Hidden mentioning of “Genocide” to play with emotions of people who are very well aware of the bases of Genocide that would eventually happen if the lands are given back. There is no guaranty that Azeri government will not orchestrate another Sumgait.
I have read the article, and I think the Journalist unfolded the reality but the lie. I address these words to those who think it is just stupid lie and nothing more. Those of you who are living in society free from war and unoccupied territories. have you ever imagined yourself or more importantly your close friends, children, mothers and those who you love in that condition? This desperate situation shapes the future of each young man, who wants to get rid of injustice. World community talks about Nagorno-Karabakh, bit what about those lands that are adjacent to Nagorno Karabakh and are also occupied? Those are 4 times bigger that Nagorno Karabakh? What should this journalist have written here? That People of Azerbaijan have a will to make a supreme gift and gave the lands to Armenia? Our lives is not about stupid politics. Our lives about our lives and that is it. US, France and Russia – Allies of Armenia, and also chairmans of Minsk Group for resolving this problem. Is it fair? NOT!
You sound a normal person. Where have you been in 1920th, when Stalin was making a gift to Baku, without taking into consideration implications on future of people born free but forced live under rule and regime of strange culture, believes and human values? Where was your voice during pogroms in baku in the early and late 20th century? I wish more people like you are in Azerbaijan who have deep understanding of human right to have a human life disrespect what politicians – like Stalin and Aliev, plan to do.
The article has been published by Ellen Bary in NY Times doesnt correspond with the reality of Artsakhs historical events, those informations are distorted or intentionally removed without bathering themselves question to see the Artsakhi people sufferings on the hands of azari invaders, just engeenered to give azaris
a momentom of false excitment to intensify conflict, for having better chance to control & dominate the region wealth,
The NY Times & its reporter claimes 1milion azari refugees are living in squalors, in fact azari government
innitiated & executed the war on the scale of entire region, by addupting turkish genocidal tactics to anhilate
or force them to leave their homeland,that was the answer to peacefull & freindly request to seperate thems elves from azari jurisdiction, after heavy losses & destruction artsakhi resistance succided to defit &force azaris sign armistice, now azaris crying foul they have 1milion refugee indeed azari government created.
Why NYTimes didnot mention peacefull armenian communities in Baku, Sumgait & other cities brutally attaked intentionally toinflict more losses & pressure. Alieve is foolish, simply to say these poor people provoked him to display his turkik races inferiority to attack civilian with unspeakable brutality.Alieve also provoked & attaked Nakhichevans armenian cemetry, smashed gravestones & his darling causne in Turkey demolished armenian/turkish freindship statue,these wunderful actions never been coverd in the news,but whenTaliban demolished Buda statue, international controled media condemned quikly with pomp & fanfare
NYTimes need to explain child idoctrination & brain washing abuse is considered outragious in countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan & Iraqe but the same action in Azarbaijan & Turky glorified,Alieve trains kids as sniper & send them front line, but when killed he will make a lot of noise, in Turkey a 17 years old kid assasinated news paper editor Hrant Dink. all of these stories reflects the proof of impartiality & moral bligation of NYTimes.
If Alieve realy interested for wellbeing of his people, & refugees, then instead of wasting azaris wealth paying
NYTimes for fraudlent articles, then he must pay attention to his own people urgent needs & solution for problems, & avoid baseless accusations to others.
NYTimes has difficulty in their recognition of the Turkish Genocide of the Armenian nation. Seems they can recognize the German genocide of the Jews – only, Sadly, the genocide of the Jews, which occurred about a mere generation following the Turk slaughters, rapes, marched in deserts till death, tortures (i.e. horse shoes nailed to feet… and worse) of the Armenians indicates that the Turks had thus taught on to the Nazis the same means to eliminate the Jews as the Turks had used against the Armenians. The oft repeated quote of a Hitler when reminded of the Turkish elimination of the Armenians to be: “But today, who remembers the Armenians”?
Thus, when some genocides are recognized, other genocides are ignored (as if they never occurred) it is inevitable that genocides will continue… ongoing, unending… as long as the civilized nations cannot and will not address the despots who have ‘gotten away with murders.. and worse.’ Too, the perpetrators are the victors – the innocent victims are the losers…. but yet, are not all mankind who tolerate such inhumanity…(humans eliminating innocent unarmed humans for their own convoluted goals) are not these civilized nations too, guilty of all the genocides as they ‘allow’ inhumanity to continue – unending.
If the Armenians had received, via President Woodrow Wilson’s efforts, the Turkish reparations – IMAGINE!! NONE OF ALL THE GENOCIDES THAT FOLLOWED – SHALL NEVER BEEN – FOR GENOCIDES HAD BEEN FORBIDDEN BY CIVILIZED LEADERS… LED BY THE USA PRESIDENT.
Today,
– nations/victims of genocides come together, (regardless of ANY other differences)
– just the fact their innocents had ALL suffered the horrors of genocides (slaughters, rapes and worse);
– together, world’s civilized nations bring to face justice criminals who have committed genocides;
– thus, together, only then, shall slaughters, rapes, tortures of innocents – be eliminated on planet earth.
– Together.
The New York Times, that celebrated paper of record, is nothing more than a family newspaper.
If you look at the masthead you will see that the paper was established in 1851, yet the only publishers’ names that appear are those of the Ochs/Sulzberger clan.
Furthermore, the motto “All the News that’s fit to Print” is ungrammatical. Who is doing the printing?
It would be more accurate to cast the motto as “All the news that’s fit to be printed’ or “All the news that’s fit for print.” When the paper condescended to publish a letter to the editor from a reader who took the paper to task for giving less prominent space to news favorable to the Palestinians, the writer concluded with, “I guess it’s a question of who’s Ochs is gored” a reference to the Talmud which decrees that when the ox of a Canaanite gores the ox of an Israelite, there shall be a penalty, but when the ox of an Israelite gores the ox of a Canaanite, there shall be no penalty.